


If You Want

by Skyler10



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Domestic, F/M, Fluff, Nightmares, Post Bad Wolf Bay, Post-Episode: s04e13 Journey's End, bed sharing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-10-16 23:23:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10581627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyler10/pseuds/Skyler10
Summary: Tentoo and Rose have just been left alone on the beach in Norway. But what kind of life do they each envision “spending it with you” entails?





	

**Author's Note:**

> For a variety of of Tentoo x Rose prompts this week, but specifically “just after the beach, figuring things out."

He had known this was coming. It was his mind in another body that had devised it, after all. But it didn’t make it any easier to see the pain and confusion on Rose’s face as she stared at the spot in the sand where the TARDIS had been.

She understood the explanations left unsaid, he knew. He didn’t doubt her clever mind had worked out the Time Lord’s intentions. But her heart would need more time. More time for what, he wasn’t sure, but his inner Donna told him to be sensitive and the rest of him was all too eager to put off difficult conversations if it meant he could keep her holding on to his hand for dear life as she had been since the dematerlization sequence made the blue box pulse out of sight. Feeling lucky (the luckiest man in existence), he had slipped his palm against hers and entwined their fingers. He’d held his breath until she made a move in response. Would she pull away? Shout? Cry?

No, she stroked his thumb with her own and met his gaze.

The sun set rather quickly on their walk to the nearest village. They were only a few miles out, but it progressed in bursts of questions from Jackie, which he answered as best he could, and carefully worded questions from him about this universe and their time here that received short, nervous answers from Rose. The whole thing was so out of character for the three of them that it was almost comical, but none of them dared comment on it.

They reached a seaside bed and breakfast with a (fitting) nautical theme just as their stomachs began to rumble.

“I’ll check in,” Jackie offered when they reached the oak captain wheel that served as a reception desk. “You two go on.” She nodded to the dining area where the other guests were gathering for the evening meal.

Rose checked the Doctor’s face to see what he thought, but he just shrugged and said, “After you.”

She led them to the source of a fragrant blend of roast and potatoes and vegetables and fish and bread -- glorious, freshly baked, buttery soft bread. A chorus of “Welcome!” and “Who have we here?” and “Come! Get some food.” rang out through the wood-paneled room. Retirees, backpackers, college students, and families passed around large serving dishes, filled each other’s glasses, and exchanged stories of their adventures. Most of them had been together for the good part of a week, however, or on the same tours, so they were eager for fresh conversation by way of these battle-weary newcomers. The Doctor and Rose did their best to answer everyone’s questions without revealing too many details.

“Oh my,” one white-haired gran cooed, “your boyfriend sure is a looker, dearie.”

Rose caught his eye just as he inhaled sharply at the comment. Not long before they had been separated, they had stopped correcting people who assumed they were a couple. Would she now?

“Yeah, he’s a bit of alright.” Rose blushed as he broke into a grin. She looked away and bit her lip, but let her eyes wander back to his smile briefly before returning her attention to the gran peppering her with questions.  

The Doctor discovered a sure way to divert the topic when things got too personal was to comment on the sailboat paintings decking the walls. After that, the meal passed relatively smoothly, despite Jackie looking at him like she knew something he didn’t. Which, he supposed, included a great many things about this universe, but this seemed more immediate… more strategic…  

After dessert, guests headed back to their rooms one by one. Jackie bowed out, waving her mobile with an incoming call from Pete, and dropped a single key on the table between Rose and the Doctor.

They watched it fall and exchanged surprised blinks. Oh Jackie Tyler had a plan, that was certain.

“So, what do you want to bet there is only one bed in this room?” The Doctor indicated the key between them.

“Knowing Mum, almost certain of it. That ok with you?” Rose tucked a fallen strand of hair behind her ear.

 “Just like old times.” The Doctor winked.

“Oh shut up,” she laughed and shoved lightly at his shoulder.

Just like old times, indeed.

\----

Speaking of old times, this house was ancient. Every floorboard squeaked. The Doctor tried to tip-toe to the en suite, making Rose giggle from the bed. She had already washed up with necessities the B&B had supplied. She was dressed only in an overly large T-shirt with the B&B’s logo on the front. He had been provided a similar one and a pair of grey-stripped lounge pants with a matching miniature version of the logo on the right pocket.

“Remind me why we got the attic room with paper-thin walls?” he asked around a mouthful of toothpaste.

“Because Dad is getting in soon and he’d wake up the whole town with those stairs,” she answered though she knew he hadn’t forgotten. He rinsed out his mouth and bounced onto the bed next to her.

He wanted to tease her with a quip about how it was really her parents making sure he kept his paws off their daughter or they’d hear, but he didn’t know if their relationship was to that point. They hadn’t done much even before they were apart. Now, with years to catch up on, he was even less certain of where things were going, um, _physically_.

Rose reached over him to turn off the lamp when he just stared happily at her and made no move to do so himself. They settled in, side by side but not touching.

“Rose?” he dared to break the silence.

“Yeah?”

“You called me your boyfriend…”

“I think you’ll remember that Mrs. Jenkins did.”

“And you didn’t correct her.”

“No…” Rose tensed next to him, and he rushed out his point.

“Iwasjustwondering… are you…? Um, would it be alright if… we don’t have to, English is a very limited language after all, and this in no way sums up the entirety of who you are to me, and even though it is a bit possessive, I don’t mean it in a _possession_ kind of way, though mutual possessiveness isn’t a bad thing…”

Rose raised up on her elbow to furrow her brow at him.

“Doctor. Do you want to be my boyfriend?”

“Yes.” He nodded vigorously, hoping the light from the window was enough that she could see it.

“Ok.”

“And I can introduce you as my girlfriend?” His voice squeaked a bit at the end. He wondered if she could see him tugging at his ear in the dark.

“Yeah,” she exhaled and relaxed. “It’s like you said, it’s not perfect, but it… clarifies things.”

He nodded again.

“Don’t think this gets you off the hook though,” she warned. “We’ve still got a lot to talk about.”

He swallowed. “Yeah, I suppose we do.”

When neither of them spoke for a while, they settled back onto their pillows and stared at the ceiling.

“Doctor?” Her voice was suddenly small and pleading. “Can we have a cuddle?”

“Well, of course. What kind of boyfriend do you think I am?” He wrapped his arms around her in gratitude. It had been far too long since their kiss on the beach and every cell of his newly formed body yearned for her touch. Her hand was lovely, of course, but her head on his chest, her arm around his waist, his fingers stroking through her hair… This was home.

They drifted off together, knowing that a much more serious conversation was coming. They just didn’t realize how soon.

\------

The Doctor was already sleeping restlessly, haunted by his usual fears, but he fully woke to the sound of gasping. Rose was rolled over on her stomach, fist gripping the sheet and tears running into the pillow.

“Come back,” she begged in her sleep. “Please come back.”

Doubts jumped to his mind, ready as always to disturb his happiness. He waited.

“Doctor,” she cried, just as he suspected. “Come back! Don’t leave me alone.”

He couldn’t take it anymore. Seeing Rose upset was too much for his double hearts before, and it was no different for his single human one now.

“Rose,” he called. He placed a strong but gentle hand on her back and rubbed soothing circles. “It’s ok, Rose. I’m here.”

She sniffed and blinked open her wet eyes.

“Doctor.” Her lip trembled and she turned on her side to pull him close. She buried her face in his shirt, and he continued to stroke her back. He added kisses to her head now that she was close enough.

She pulled away slightly with a sniff and a hand to wipe away her tears. Her mouth moved for a bit before she could form the words.

“I had a dream. A nightmare,” she began. “You both left me here. You and him… you dropped me off and went away without me.”

“Never, Rose Tyler. I will never leave you.” His voice was fierce, and he gripped her forearms above him. But he need her to know this. “No matter what happens here, I promise.”

“Not even when you get your TARDIS coral grown?”

He was taken aback. They had hardly mentioned the coral since leaving the beach. He had answered a few basic questions: It would take a few years to grow, he would need parts from Torchwood, lucky thing he had a sonic in his pocket, etc.

“Never,” he emphasized. “Not unless you’re by my side. And it’s _our_ TARDIS. You can bond with her too.”

“But… really?” Rose sputtered, still disoriented from her nightmare.

“Yeah, if you want.” There it was again, the uncertainty. But he was committed to giving her a choice this time.

“Yeah… and what if I want to stick with Torchwood? And who knows… maybe you will too?”

“Then we can work for them during the week and take trips on the weekends. Might I remind you, it is a time machine, Rose Tyler.” He slipped into a Northern accent for the last bit in imitation of his previous self, coaxing out a twinkle of her laugh.

She traced a light finger over his brow to his cheeks full of freckles to his sideburns. He suppressed a shiver and tried to keep the lust out of his eyes. He wasn’t entirely sure he was successful.

“Then what?” she whispered.

“We could travel the universe like we used to. Or…”

“Mmhm?”

He licked his lips and summoned all of his courage.

“Or we could get a house. The TARDIS will need a back garden to grow in, after all. And maybe, when we’re ready… someday, when we’ve had time to get to know each other again and build a life all our own... we can get married,” he finished in a rush.

“Oh, yes,” Rose exhaled with a shaky smile. “From a practical standpoint it would help.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He tickled her side briefly before letting her answer.

“No more flirty blondes.” She raised an eyebrow, daring him to challenge her.

“You’re a flirty blonde,” he pointed out.

“Well, exactly. Only me.”

“Only you. I’m yours,” he confirmed with a daring peck to her lips. The kiss was over so fast he didn’t blame her for not knowing how to react. What he expected, however, was more banter. What he got was a full-on snog.

“Yep,” he said when she raised up over him again with a satisfied smirk on her perfect lips. “House, windows, carpets, doors, job, time machine, wife…”

She just giggled and settled back down on the pillow next to him.

“Rose?” He rolled over to his side again, more serious now. “There’s something else I need to tell you about this human me.”

“Yeah?” She still had a playful smile, clearly expecting more flirting.

“If you ever wanted… that is… it’s possible now to… biologically, it wasn’t before...”

She sighed and pecked another brief kiss to his lips.

“What is, Doctor?”

He ran a hand through his hair and started over.

“You know how I said we only have one human life together?”

“Yes…”

“When we, eventually, a very very very long time from now, aren’t around anymore…”

“Oh!” she inhaled sharply as she picked up on where he was going, much to his gratitude. “The TARDIS. Doctor, what’s going to happen to our TARDIS?”

She sat up and gaped down at him until he joined her against the headboard. He took her hands in his.

“We don’t have to. We can train… your brother. Or some very deserving students. Or let her go off to some planet to retire. Or whatever we feel is best at the time.”

“Or…” Hope shined in her eyes. “You were saying something… something that wasn’t biologically possible before but is now that you’re human.”

“We’re compatible, Rose. We’re… we can have a family. If you want. When we’re ready, a long time from now, years, if ever.”

She gasped and covered her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Are those…” he ventured a guess, “good tears or bad tears?”

“Good, you plum!” She slapped at his chest. “Are you serious? You’d better be serious, mister.”

“Yes?” He furrowed his brow, trying to decipher her reaction.

“You’re saying we can have everything?” She shook her head in disbelief. “I’ve got you back and I swear that’s enough, that’s all I wanted, but…”

“But you don’t have to choose anymore, Rose. You’ve got me. And your mum. And your dad. And a job you’re obviously cracking good at if you managed to do everything you’ve done. We’ll grow our TARDIS and get a house with a garden when she gets too big, and if we want to get married and fill that house with kids – however many you want! Or none at all! – we can do it. Nothing’s impossible for us now, love.”

She took a moment to respond through her tears of joy.

“Yes!” she choked out. “All of it, Doctor. I want every bit of that life… If you do?”

“Oh Rose Tyler, I’ve lived nearly a thousand years and nothing sounds like a better forever than building that life here with you.”

“Stuck with me isn’t so bad?” she teased with a flash of her tongue-touched smile, yet, needing to hear it confirmed all the same.

“Stuck with you is the only place I want to be.”


End file.
